Window fastener



April 9; 1940. FQLSQM 2,196,726

wmnow FASTENER Filed Sept. 19, 1939 LIA/it L;

Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATE-s MEN-r oFFlcEg WINDOW FASTENERRobert L. Folsom, Haverhill, Mass. Application September 19, 1939,Serial No. 295,555

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a type of window fastener which is adaptedtobe applied to any window of the ordinary two sash type which slide invertical runways at the opposite sides of a parting-bead, and areusually counterweighted; this being the type which is most commonly afastener for the common type of window sash above referred to, which isadapted to lock the lower sash against being raised from any position,whether fully closed, or partly raised, and. to lock the upper sashagainst being lowered, which is adapted to be readily applied to anywindow, without the use of screws or other attaching means, and which isautomatically selfadjusting, so that when the lower sash is lowered fromone raised position it will automatically lock the sash against beingraised from any position to which it has been lowered. Also to provide aconstruction which may be manufactured at small expense so that singlefasteners may be sold at a low price, or so that they may be sold inquantity at a price which will not be prohibitive.

I accomplish these objects by providing a piece of stiff sheet metal ofsomewhat greater length than the width of the sash runway, so that whenit is inserted in the runway with its opposite ends engaging the sidesthereof, it will be held at an inclination to the horizontal and whenits lower end is forced upward by the sash, its upper end, which issharp, will be forced into the wood of the runway thereby locking thesash against further upward movement. To lock the upper sash againstbeing pulled downward the plate is provided with a sharp extension whichengages the adjacent side of the upper sash, when the plate is in saidinclined position and will be forced into the sash when it is attemptedto pull the sash" down, so that the lower sash cannot be lifted, or

the upper sash be lowered when the fastener is in position in therunway.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention, reference is now made tothe following, specification, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view at line ll of Fig. 2,

showing the applicationof a fastener my invention to a window casing. 1Fig. 2 is a sectional view at line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isaperspectiveview of a portion of the. casing with the fastener inposition therein.

.Figs. 4 and. 5 are views of the fastenerfor embodying.

the left and right hand sash runways respectively.

Fig. 6 is an edge'view of the fastener. :In the drawing I haveillustrated a wooden window casing of the common type which is almostuniversally used in dwelling houses, the constructioncomprising thecasing it having a sash runway b for the lower sash c and a runway d forthe upper sash e, the runways b and d-being separated by a wood partingbead f. A wood strip or molding g is also usually secured to the casingat the inner-side of the runway band-sash cords, as h, are attached atone end to the lower and upper sashes respectively and pass overpulleys, the opposite ends being attached to counterweights, not shown.

According to my invention I provide a fastener l0 which consists of afiat metal having a base edge ll adapted to engage the molding g at oneside of the runwayv b, and

a sharp beveled edge l2 which is parallel to edge l I and disposed at adistance therefrom somewhat, greater than the width of the runway'b, so

that, when the fasteneris placed in runway b on the bottom sash with itsbase edge engaged with molding y at one side of the runway, the bevpieceof stifi sheet eled edge I 2 will rest against one side of the partingbead ,f and will extend upwardly at an inclination, as shown in Figs. 1and 3, which is preferably approximately 30 from the horizontal. Thefastener is provided with an extension or end portion l3 having a sharpbeveled edge M, which is arranged to engage the adjacent side of the topsash 6, when the edge I2 is engaged with the parting bead, so that, whenupward pressure is applied to the base lower sash, the sharp edges l2forced or bite into the sides of the parting bead and upper sashrespectively, as indicated in Fig. 3, and thus prevent the lower sashfrom being raised.

The inner side edge of the plate is provided with a notch or recess IEto receive the sash cord h, the side edges of the recess extendingconvergently from the inner edge of the plate and said recess being ofsufficient width to permit the plate to be placed in position withoutengaging the cord, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that if the sash shouldbe lowered while the plate is in position the plate will not bedislodged by edge II by the and M will be engagement with the cord. Asthe recess l5 somewhat weakens the plate, its outer edge is providedwith a strengthening flange I6, which more than offsets the weakeningefiect of the recess, said flange being extended the entire length ofthe plate, and having its ends beveled so that the end edges of theplate may rest against the parts which they engage throughout theirentire lengths. The fastener shown in Figs, 3 and 4 is adapted to beplaced in the left hand runway and the bevel of the edges l2 and I4 isformed on what is the top side when in position. In Fig. 5 a fastener lldesigned for use in the right hand runway is shown, the constructionbeing identical to that already described, except that the arrangementof the sash cord notch, flange and the edges l2 and M are opposite thecorresponding portions of the fastener for the left hand sash runway.

In use the lower sash may be raised to any height desired, and then thefastener is merely placed on top of the sash in the runway, as shown inFigsnl and 3. If it is attempted to raise the sash still more, thepressure against the base edge II will immediately'force the sharp edgesl2 and I4 into the parting bead and upper sash, so that the sash will bepositively locked against upward movement. If the sash is lowered in anattempt to dislodge the fastener, it will usually follow the sash downby gravity as indicated in the dotted line position of Fig. 1, so thatwhen it is attempted to raise the sash again it will be locked in thelowered position. While the fastener is effective in looking the sash ina partly raised position it will be entirely effective in locking thesash in the fully closed position, If

- it is attempted to lower the upper sash, this will be prevented by theengagement of the edge M therewith. The device is more effective whenused as a lockfor a closed sash than an ordinary window lock which issecured to the sash by screws, as screws can usually be forced out by ajimmy from the outside.

The construction of the fastener is simple, as

-it can be easily died from sheet metal, so that the only work that isnecessary in addition is to grind the edges I2 and [4 so that they aresharp. It will beobvious that if the runway is of greater width than theordinary standard width in general use, the length of the fastener willhave to be correspondingly increased, so that when the fastener isplaced in the runway it will be held at an acute angle to thehorizontal, which I have ascertained to be less than 45 and preferablyapproximately 30.

I claim:

A window sash fastener comprising a stiff metal plate having a base edgeat one end adapted for engagement with the top of the lower sash and theouter side of the lower sash runway, and a sharp locking edge at itsopposite end adapted to engage the opposite side of said runway, andhaving an extension at the outer end of said locking edge adapted forlocking engagement at its end with the adjacent side of the upper sash,said plate having a cord-receiving recess opening to its inner edgebetween said base and locking edges and having a strengthening flange atits opposite edge from said recess extending from adjacent the base edgeto adjacent the end of said extension, the end portions of said flangebeing formed to permit the end edges of the plate to engage the sashesthroughout the entire length of said edges.

ROBERT L, FOLSOM.

